1500 new apartments slated for Fishermans Bend
Planning & Property Partners has spearheaded the latest development push into Fishermans Bend, covering six separate residential towers fronting Normanby Road. The multi-disciplinary Melbourne-based practice is acting on behalf of six separate land owners who have seen it fit to amalgamate their land holdings into an integrated master planned development.
Lodged with DTPLI last week, the six separate properties straddling either side of Normanby Road would add 1,578 apartments to the Fishermans Bend mix over six 40 level towers, the maximum number of floors permitted under current Fishermans Bend interim height limits.
Designed by Hayball, the combined value of the six towers is an estimated $600 million and would see apartments start from 50sqm for a single bedroom apartment, moving up to 64sqm. Dual bedroom apartments begin at 91sqm while three bedroom dwellings see a minimum of 110sqm of living space.
As part of the development Port Phillip Housing Trust stands to benefit with the allocation of a number of apartments set aside for affordable housing use.
While the sites in question currently offer light commercial uses, the planning applications seeks to reinvigorate ground level activities by way of an overhauled public realm. The combined urban design response will see increased mid-block activation with laneways between Normanby Road and Munro Street and Normanby Road and Woodgate Street.
Retail and commercial tenancies are set to line ground level spaces with podium level tenancies earmarked for commercial use, specifically ‘business incubator’ spaces designed to support start-up businesses within the precinct.
What they say
The net community benefit from a precinct approach is the creation of public spaces that feel good to be in and that people want to return to. We’ve carefully considered the human experience at street level with small-scale activities and spaces like laneways, pocket parks and plazas that feel intimate and engaging.
Making great places takes time and involves many complex ingredients to create a local experience which feels authentic. Early activation of the public realm and ‘seeding’ strategies to stitch new activities into the existing urban fabric are key to a celebrated local identity taking shape over time.
Tom Jordan - Managing Director, Hayball
This coordinated effort will create benefits for both occupiers and the broader community. It is a benchmark for a quality-driven, design response to residential apartment development, fostering a sense of community and providing a positive social contribution to the evolving Montague Precinct.
Doing 6 towers together can only mean a better coordinated outcome in both an urban design sense and how it will interact at street level. It is an exceptionally well put together proposal.
Mark Naughton - Managing Director, Planning & Property Partners
The bigger picture
Further along Normanby Road there are two nearby properties currently hold planning permits for substantial towers. An Artisan Architects designed 40 level complex at 199 Normanby Road has approval for 262 apartments while Perpetual Normanby Pty Ltd recently received the green light for a 49 and 39 level dual tower scheme at 228-238 Normanby Road.
Overall Urban.com.au is currently tracking 43 towers within Fishermans Bend, spread over 20 separate development plots. This figure is expected to fluctuate as a number of projects within the precinct such as 6-78 Buckhurst Street are back in the hands of architects seeking an improved outcome.
